Metal-cap expander.



No. 654,006. Patented July l7, I900. J. C. KELLER.

METAL CAP EXPANDER.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1900.)

(No Indel.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

JULES C. KELLER, OF POTTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

M ETAL-CAP EXPANDER;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,006, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed Api'il 12, 1900.

Serial No. 12,555. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULEs C. KELLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pottsville, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Penn s'ylvania, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Metal-Cap Expanders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to cap-expanders for straightening and expanding crown or crimped caps that have been used before and reshaping the same for further use.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which can be applied to the same machine which caps the bottles and using the power that operates the capping-plunger to drive the expander-plunger.

lVith these and other objects in view my invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a crown-capping machine, showing my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the standards on line 00 a: of Fig. 2.

Like characters designate like parts in the drawings.

A denotes the tubular standard of a bottlecapping machine; B, the 'bottlesupporting plate; 0, the plunger, and D the plunger-actuating bar or rod. These parts are of the usual construction employed on such machines and do not form a part of my invention.

1 denotes the base of my device, which may be of any desired shape.

2 denotes two standards, each consisting of the parallel vertical bars 2 and 2 suitably spaced apart and provided on their inner faces with the aliued vertical grooves or slots 2 extending the entire length of said standards.

3 denotes a vertically-moving plunger having on its outer ends T- shaped lugs 4, which slide between the parallel bars 2 and 2 of the standards 2 and engage the vertical slots 2 therein ,as shown. This construction serves to guide the plunger and to prevent any lateral movement of thesame. Upon the under side of the plunger 3 are formed the male members a of the expanding-dies, of which I may employ any number, (two being shown in the drawings.)

5 denotes a head fixed upon the upper side of the plunger 3 to receive the impact of the capping-machine plunger 0.

6 denotes bell-crank levers pivoted in the upper ends of the standards between the bars 2 and 2 and preferably formed as shown, having the outer ends of their arms 6 and 6" connected by a segmental strip 6 7 denotes short springs having one end connected to the outer end of the segmental strip 6 and the other end to the standard 2. 8 denotes another pair of springs connecting the inner end of the segmental strip 6 with the plunger 3. These springs tend to retract the plunger after the pressure of the plunger 0 has been removed and hold the same in position for the next operation.

9 denotes the female members of the dies, formed in the base-plate 1, each directly beneath the corresponding male member caf ried by the plunger. In the center of the vertical dies is formed a hole 10.

.11 denotes holes in the supporting-plate B of the capping-machine. The holes 11 form a continuation of the holes 10, but are of less diameter, thereby forming, with the top edge of the plate B, shoulders, for a purpose hereinafter to appear.

12 denotes ejectors, consisting of a disk 13, conforming to the shape of the female die, provided on their lower faces with guide stems 14, which have vertical movement in the holes 10 and 11 audare forced up and held in an elevated position by the coiled springs 15, coiled around said stems and confined between the disks 13 and the shoulders formed by the difference in diameter of the holes 10 and 11.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the expander to be in place upon the bottle plate or support of a bottle-capping machine, a used crown or crimped cap is now placed upside down on each of the ejector-disks of the female members of the dies. The capping-machine is now started, and the head 5 on the plunger 3 of the expander receives the impact from the plunger 0 of the cappingmachine, pressing the same downwardly against the tension of the springs 7 and 8 and forcing the male members of the dies into contact with the crown-cap, pressing the same into the female member of the dies against the tension of the ejector-springs, thus reshaping and expanding the crown-cap so that it can again be crimped on a bottle. When the cap has been expanded and pressure removed from the plunger, the springs 7 and 8 will return the same to its normal position. The ejector-springs will then force the ejectors carrying the cap out of the female members of the dies, when they can be removed and others put in their places and I the operation repeated.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of my device will be readily understood, and a further description of the same is not deemed necessary.

Various changes in the form,- proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a crown or crimped cap expander, adapted to be applied to and operated by a bottle-capping machine, the combination of a base having formed therein the female members of expanding} dies, springcontrolled ejectors for removing the expanded caps from said female members,the vertical guide-standards provided with vertical guideways or grooves, a spring-controlled plunger carrying the male members of the expanding-dies and provided with animpact-head, bell-crank levers mounted in the upper ends of said, standards, springs connecting oneend of said bell-crank levers with the vertical standards, and springs connecting the' other en ds of'said' bell-crank levers with the aforesaid plunger,

substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have herenntbset myhand in presence of two subscribing w'it nesses. p p

V JULES O. KELLER; Witnesses:

CHARLES F. Dar n,- JOHN J. KOHLER. 

